Moms like me-Lori Latch

I’ve had this idea in my head for quite sometime and I’ve decided it’s finally time to execute it. I’ve been long troubled about the pressures we place on ourselves as mothers and the comparison game. It’s easy to look at someone’s posts on social media and their lives from the outside and think they’ve got it all figured out. In reality, they’re probably just as lost as the rest of us. So readers, I introduce to you a new monthly segment called “Moms like me”. In this segment, I’ll provide a glimpse into the lives of moms who are just like me and you. Stay at home moms, work from home moms, workforce moms all with 7 plates spinning in the air at once. Although I’ve got a few willing participants on my list, I’ve decided to start with myself to break the ice. Yeah, I interviewed myself, because I’m cool like that! 😉

Tell us a little about yourself, like the cliff notes version:Welp, my name is Lorianne Latch but most folks just call me Lori. I’m a 32 year old Texas gal with a big heart, a deep love for Jesus, and all things artsy. I’ve been in the photography business for about 6 years now and am still learning more about it every day. I’ve got a good lookin’ hubby, 3 gorgeous girls, and a rambunctious yorkie poo named Sadie.

What about your other half?Been married to Dave for going on 8 years now. He’s truly become my best friend. We’re pretty much always goofing off and laughing together.

Let’s meet the kiddos: I’ve got 3 of them. All girls. Yeah, I know, we’ve totally got our work cut out for us.

P is 11. She’s big hearted and the easiest kid on the planet. Always has been. She’s my big helper and an amazing big sister. She’s my soccer star and my artist. I can always count on her.

T is 7. She’s goofy, smart, and loud. She’s caring and super sweet but will argue with a wall. She’s my cheerleader and my horse lover. She hopes to barrel race when she gets older.

A is 4. She goes about a mile a minute from the second she rises in the morning till she lays her head to sleep each night. Strong willed doesn’t even begin to describe her. She makes every day an adventure.

Early bird or night owl?Night owl. Definietly night owl.

What do you do after your kids go to bed?Stare at the wall in silence. For real though. The day is so busy and noisy that I need like 10 minutes to process it all when it’s finally quiet. If I’ve got sessions to edit, I usually do it when they’re sleeping and I can concentrate. Sometimes I color (yes, adults totally do that), read, or lounge in the recliner and peruse pinterest. When Dave is home, we watch movies and shows together.

Tell us what a typical weekday looks like for you:

I typically wake up about 6:30 and get the big girls ready for school.

I drop them off by 7:30 and try to get some time in the Word in before full on chaos ensues.

Tue/Thurs about 8:15 I wake the little one up, feed her, make her lunch, and get her ready for MDO.

After I drop her off at 9, I run errands if there are errands to be run. Grocery store, bank, dry cleaners, etc.

I then frolic home to do my chores like a good little housewife.

If Dave is home, sometimes we use the time to have a lunch date or something since we don’t get out without kids at night much.

I work on some continuing education classes I’ve got online for a couple of hours and then it’s time to start picking kids up.

After school snack, homework, and then it’s off to Cheer practice and soccer.

Home to quickly whip up dinner and feed everyone.

Then it’s bath, book, and bedtime for the kiddos!

(I tried to include some real life stuff here, which is tough when you’re the photographer! Thanks to my handy tripod and timed release shutter, I was able to get some pretty telling photos of the girls and I playing a game. Playing board games is one of our favorite things to do together. Even though I have like 8 chins and P looks like she was picking her nose(she was scratching the side of it actually), I posted them anyway. Why? Because the way A is being her sassy bossy self needs to be shared and the way T gets in your face to rub it in when she’s winning is legit)

Let’s talk about your business, how’d you get started and what’s the best thing about your job:I took an interest in photography in my high school photo journalism class and I’ve loved it ever since. I purchased my first dslr in 2009 as a way to mainly take photos of my kiddos. I started taking pictures for friends and family but really didn’t know what I was doing. I cringe when I look at some of those old photos. By 2010, I decided to make a business of it and launched Piece of Cake Photography. I was also making cakes at the time so the name went along with my cake business. I took a little hiatus after we moved 2 years ago but recently rebranded and relaunched as Lori Latch Photography and I’m super excited about all the new possibilities. (Like me on Facebook and follow me on Instagram). The absolute hands down best part about my “job” is meeting awesome new people and getting to see the world through the eyes of a child occasionally. I’ve gotten to share in some amazing moments from birthdays to weddings and have enjoyed watching some of my clients grow over the years.

What are your biggest challenges balancing your business and your family?Sometimes I’m so swamped with editing or a design project that I need to do it during my children’s waking hours. It becomes difficult when you’re interrupted repeatedly to get a snack, a drink, diffuse an argument, or doctor a boo boo. Some days are so busy I don’t have a single waking second to myself and I work into the wee hours of morning making sure my projects are client ready.

Do you ever feel like society underplays your job as a mom?All.the.time! Sometimes I feel like people think I stay home with my children because I didn’t have any other skills or because I wasn’t smart enough for a “real career”. That’s totally not the case. I stayed home because I felt like it’s what was best for my family and my children. If you think I don’t miss the adult interaction of my 8-5 you’re gravely mistaken. It’s a choice. A choice that I question daily.

What do you think about the pressures we put on ourselves and other mothers? I think it’s dreadful. Mom guilt, it’s real y’all! We’ve got the weight of the world on our shoulders and we are all so critical of ourselves and other mother’s too for that matter! If I feed my children anything less than farm raised organic meat and organic locally grown produce with fresh spring water I feel like a failure. We have this idea of what the perfect June Cleaver mother should look like with a perfectly clean home, fantastically delicious nutritious meals, and perfect hair and pearls and when we undoubtably fall short, we beat ourselves up. When other mothers don’t parent quite the same way we do, we judge.

What bit of encouragement would you offer other moms?You do you. Worry about what works best for your family and your busy lifestyle. Worrying about keeping up with your neighbor, your best friend, or that awesome mommy blogger you found on pinterest will only bring more stress to your life. Seriously, some days I make elaborate meals and play all day with my kids. Some days we do amazing art projects and things are all unicorns and rainbows and we post those things on social media for all to see. Other days, we run late , forget things, eat chef boyardee, and have meltdowns you don’t always see. Some days I have the patience of Job while others I yell at my kids and then feel so guilty I crawl in the fetal position and cry. The point is, if elaborate valentines, meals, and parties are your cup of tea, you do you. If they’re not, there is absolutely no shame in your game! I’ve got to make a more conscious effort to stop holding myself (and others) to some unrealistic standard. We’re all in this together!

*Are you a DFW area Mama who might like to be featured in a future Moms like me post? It’s easy and fun! I’ll email you a few questions similar to those above and then on a day that’s convenient for you, come snap some photos of you and your family both in a portrait like setting and your natural element. There’s absolutely no session charge and I’ll link your business page for your customers and mine! Let’s support each other’s businesses ladies and encourage other mamas too! I’m looking for work from home mamas, business owner mamas, working moms, and stay at home moms married or single. It takes a village!*